Maxine Rubin
@maxinerubin.com
• Research fellow @giga-hamburg.de • Co-Editor of @africaspectrum.bsky.social • Research associate in the Department of Political Studies, University of Witwatersrand Reposts ≠endorsement | Own views expressed
New issue of Africa Spectrum out! As international humanitarian #aid declines, the humanitarian efforts of the #diaspora have become increasingly important. This special issue examines the nature of such efforts by the #Somali diaspora in Africa. ➡️Have a look: www.giga-hamburg.de/en/press/new...
New Africa Spectrum 2/2026
giga-hamburg.de
🆕 Are border residents a security threat or a security resource? Baami and Torsu show how border communities in Ghana contribute to intelligence gathering, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution, yet remain largely overlooked in border governance. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 Has climate change become a "single story" in explanations of insecurity? Dengiyefa Angalapu and Ernest Toochi Aniche argue that climate-security framings can oversimplify conflict dynamics in Nigeria and overlook other key drivers of insecurity. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 How did African academic publishing become so dependent on external actors? Kitchen and Mills trace the rise of an "extraverted" publishing economy shaped by donors, multinational publishers, and enduring inequalities in knowledge production. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261468822 @giga-hamburg.de
🆕Obadia Okinda Miroro explores how belonging, migration experiences, and social media shape crisis giving among Somalis in Nairobi. The study highlights the growing role of digital technologies in connecting people to crises and mobilising support. doi.org/10.1177/00020397261467770 #SpecialIssue
🆕 How do migrants claim belonging in a border town? Wonder Juniper explores how community radio shapes the citizenship practices of Zimbabwean traders in Musina, South Africa, introducing the concept of "bordered voices." 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 What can Somali giving practices teach us about humanitarianism? Thabani Mutambasere argues that humanitarian action is shaped by relationships, obligations, and transnational networks as much as by formal institutions. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 Why do women's land rights remain limited despite legal reforms? Millicent Awialie Akaateba and Agumah Sebastian Mbabugri examine how customary practices continue to shape women's access to land in Ghana despite statutory protections. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 What are the cultural costs of development? Rachel King, Amanda Esterhuysen, and Dineo Skosana examine how mining, infrastructure, and renewable energy projects have driven burial disturbance and reburial in South Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 Book Review: How did Transsion become Africa's leading mobile phone company? Rochat reviews Miao Lu's The Transsion Approach, highlighting how adaptation to local markets helped shape the firm's success across Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 How do weaker states navigate great-power competition? Vigne and Van Hoeymissen examine how the DRC balanced relations with China, the US, and the EU, showing how hedging can help preserve autonomy amid insecurity and geopolitical rivalry. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261466687 @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 How do youth movements reshape democratic space? Han examines how marginalised youth in post-2011 Tunisia reclaimed streets and public spaces to challenge political exclusion and demand socio-economic justice. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261462573 #specialissue @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 Introduction to the Special Issue: Giving in Somali Diaspora Humanitarianism in Africa Nauja Kleist and Mark Bradbury introduce research on Somali diaspora humanitarianism and crisis relief across Africa. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261460467 @giga-hamburg.de @naujakleist.bsky.social
Celebrating Africa Spectrum at 60 🎉 ➡️ As part of our 60th anniversary campaign, we asked former Editors-in-Chief of Africa Spectrum to reflect on what makes the journal distinctive and important within African Studies. #AFR60yrs Thread 🧵
🆕 How does Islamic ethical thought shape socio-political life in Northern Nigeria? Fahm and Ibrahim show how Islamic ethical frameworks shape ideas of leadership, community resilience, and social repair amid governance, insecurity, and inequality. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261452691
🆕 How did Ghana frame diaspora engagement during the Year of Return? Kutor, Oklikah, Saaka, and Arku examine how Ghanaian media framed the initiative through tourism, investment, branding, and emotional connection with diaspora communities. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261448904 @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 Can women’s land ownership strengthen climate adaptation and food security? Wegenast, Hänze, and Haer show that joint land ownership in Tanzania improves food security and diet diversity among households facing extreme weather events. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261450226 @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 How does prolonged displacement shape identity and belonging? Rudolf and Tufa examine the Amiche in Ethiopia, showing how protracted exclusion and displacement produced a distinct identity shaped by stable liminality and permanent in-betweenness. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261446238
🆕 How is legitimacy negotiated in contested land governance systems? Awoh examines land governance in Kom and Bali, Cameroon, showing how traditional authorities use hybrid strategies to maintain legitimacy and mediate land conflicts. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261446002 @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 How do telecom companies shape humanitarian response in Somalia? Chonka examines how Somali telecom firms use CSR narratives around connectivity, empowerment, nationalism, and piety amid conflict and humanitarian crises. 🔗doi.org/10.1177/00020397261443322 #specialissue @giga-hamburg.de
🆕 How do corporations and communities negotiate access on resource frontiers? Yang examines Chinese bauxite mining in Guinea, showing how corporate strategies and community repertoires interact to renegotiate access, compensation, and rights claims. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/00020397261443317
🆕How has France’s image shifted in Malian media? Zhuang analyses 822 Maliweb articles (2017–2024), showing how anti-French narratives gained prominence after the 2020 political rupture, reshaping public discourse and highlighting African media agency. 🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
➡️ Here is her editorial pick: Struggles over Resource Access in Rural Tanzania, by Mathew Bukhi Mabele & Ulrike Müller-Böker 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... 🔔 We’ll be sharing more reflections from our editors in the coming weeks. @giga-hamburg.de @maxinerubin.com @marthacj.bsky.social
🆕 How do communities organise aid during crisis? Mohamed, @naujakleist.bsky.social, and Kanyinga examine how Somali WhatsApp groups function as spaces for coordinating drought relief, extending kinship-based support into digital humanitarian action. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de
Here is one of the articles that I selected for the Editors' Picks series that we're doing as part of our celebration of Africa Spectrum's 60th anniversary!
Africa Spectrum@africaspectrum.bsky.social · 4mo agoCelebrating Africa Spectrum at 60 🎉 ➡️Co Editor-in-Chief @maxinerubin.com highlights an article that explores how religious symbolism can be mobilised to legitimise authoritarian rule, using the Gambian case to reveal broader political dynamics. #AFR60yrs Thread🧵
I was so happy to see Martha picked this article! It stood out to me too - it was very interesting and, as Martha says, a bit outside of what we usually receive. We were happy to publish this excellent scholarly work.
Africa Spectrum@africaspectrum.bsky.social · 5mo agoCelebrating Africa Spectrum at 60 🎉 ➡️ Editor-in-Chief @marthacj.bsky.social (since 2023) highlights an article that stood out for offering a fresh perspective on #Africa’s global significance and challenging #Eurocentric assumptions in the study of languages. #AFR60yrs Thread🧵
➡️ Here is her editorial pick: “West African Pidgin: World Language Against the Grain”, by Kofi Yakpo. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... CC: @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com @maxinerubin.com @miasa-ug.bsky.social
Interested in reviewing one? Please email our Book Review Editor, Seulgie Lim. ➡️Access the full list & submission details in our new newsletter: bit.ly/4ur8rXt CC: @maxinerubin.com @miasa-ug.bsky.social @grauvogelj.bsky.social
Celebrating Africa Spectrum at 60 🎉 Former Editor-in-Chief Leonardo Arriola (2019–2023) highlights three articles from his tenure that stood out to him for their conceptual clarity, empirical strength, and timely contributions to key debates in #Africanstudies. Thread 🧵 CC: @giga-hamburg.de
Celebrating Africa Spectrum at 60🎉 @maxinerubin.com & @marthacj.bsky.social reflect on the journal's presence over six decades. They highlight efforts to decolonise knowledge production, expand African-based scholarship & map the road ahead. 🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0002... @giga-hamburg.de @sagepub.com
